Newcomb Hall

Referred to simply as "the library" for much of its early years, this was the University of Kansas City's third building and was renamed in 1984 to honor Ernest Newcomb, one of the key founders of the university and the school's executive secretary from 1928 to 1938. The building originally housed the library and a small auditorium and its completion in 1936 reflected the growth of the university and its student body. This library became home to the large Snyder Collection in 1937 after the collection's purchase by William Volker; the central figure in the establishment. The library's collection and the needs of the university outgrew the capacity of this building leading to the creation of Miller Nichols Library in the 1960s. In the decades that followed, the former library building housed classrooms and offices, the university's telephone switchboard, and the State Historical Society's Western Historical Manuscript Collection before its move to Miller Nichols Library.

Ernest Newcomb was an integral figure in the founding of the University of Kansas City (now UMKC) and this building was named in his honor after his death. Despite his role as a "founding father" of the university, an early change of management caused his relationship with the school to become strained. Newcomb, who grew up in Neosho, Missouri, was president of Central College, an women's Methodist college in Lexington, Missouri. When that school closed, Newcomb came to Kansas City with plans to raise money and establish a new Methodist College. However, his plan for "Lincoln and Lee University" failed due to a lack of funding and inadequate church support.

Newcomb then campaigned for the creation of a non-sectarian university and worked for several years to achieve this goal with the support of local philanthropist William Volker who purchased 40 acres of land. With additional funds from Volker and other supporters, The University of Kansas City opened in 1933 with Newcomb as managing executive and secretary of the Board of Trustees.

Despite his central role in the formation of the college, Newcomb saw his position eliminated five years later. He moved on to other ventures and did not return to the university he helped to establish. Despite a period when Newcomb's role was not recognized, forty years after its completion, this building was renamed Newcomb Hall in the early 1980s to honor the founder a few years after his death in 1979.

Newcomb Hall, originally known only as "the library," housed the university's collection of books and archives along with a small auditorium. Following the death of long-time collector Robert Snyder, Jr., William Volker purchased Snyder's collection of Americana which included more than 20,000 maps, manuscripts, and books. Today the Snyder Collection is kept by Labudde Special Collections in the Miller Nichols Library.

Wolff, Christopher. A Pearl of Great Value: The History of UMKC, Kansas City’s University. Kansas City, Missouri. UMKC Alumni Association, 2016.

Newcomb Hall: more than just a hall, UMKC Roo News. September 14th, 2010. Accessed September 9th, 2022. https://kcroonews.com/newcomb-hall-more-than-just-a-hall/.

Coleman, Daniel. Ernest H. Newcomb, The Pendergast Years - The Kansas City Public Library. Accessed September 9th, 2022. https://pendergastkc.org/article/biography/ernest-h-newcomb.

Tammeus, Lisen. Founding Father, UMKC Alumni Association. Accessed September 9th, 2022. https://www.umkcalumni.com/s/1236/index2col.aspx?sid=1236&gid=1&pgid=975.